Instinct
by ImmortalDawn18
Summary: Kaname and Katsu are no strangers to war. With their pasts rapidly catching up to them and their lovers, bringing Aurora and Ichiru along for the ride, will love prove stronger than it was before? ZxK, TxOC, IxOC. Sequel to Animal.
1. 1: The Will of the Fallen

Dawn: Hello everyone and welcome to Instinct!

Zero: Shoot me now, please, just shoot me now.

Kaname: *pouts* So you'd really leave me alone with HER, Zero? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME!

Katsu: *facepalm* I just hope you guys don't act like this to neoko, otherwise she'll never agree to do this ever again...

Ichiru: You say that as if we should care.

Takuma: *smiles happily* ImmortalDawn18 does not own Vampire Knight.

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><p>Chapter One: The Will of the Fallen<p>

The three vampires looked beautifully graceful as they stared up at the imposing Senate building, each of them with a different thought in their head. Kaname knew that he was here only to prevent things from going horribly wrong as they confronted the Senate about the death of their leader, Asato Ichijo. Takuma knew that he had to at least attempt to repeal the motion that shapeshifters were forbidden in Japan, even if he had to reveal the truth that he'd taken one as a "pet". Aurora knew that she had to confirm her destiny as an Ichijo and relay the events leading up to his death. They all had something to protect, something to hold dear to them, and a reason to come home. None of them hoped to kill anyone, especially since Aurora's powers were only starting to come back to her a little (Ichiru still had control of them, though it was becoming increasingly obvious that they shared the power instead of simply having it passed on to the silveret as they'd all feared) and Takuma still hadn't awakened his own powers, leaving Kaname as the only one properly ready for a fight should it occur. "Well," Aurora asked, steel in her blue-green eyes as they flashed a brighter green for a moment, "shall we?"

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><p>Ichiru awoke alone in his bed, his lavender alight with fear for a moment as a light breeze rustled the loose items in the room he shared with his twin before he recalled that Aurora had a meeting with the Senate today and calmed himself. He sighed heavily, dragging a hand through his mussed silver hair as he focused on calming himself before he accidentally broke something, pointedly redirecting his senses to the feeling of the soft cotton sheets on his bare chest. He was a part of the Day Class for now, along with Zero, but like Katsu and Aurora, he planned on joining the Night Class once the holidays were over. He'd asked Zero if he was planning on transferring as well, but the hunter had just sighed and said he still needed time to think about it. Deciding that spending time with Yuki Kuran and the other Night Class vampires was preferable to moping around the room, or Aurora's, waiting for her to return, he got out of bed, changed his pajama pants for a pair of dark blue jeans, and pulled on a Killjoys T-shirt from Zero's side of the closet.<p>

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><p>"Kaname-sama," a man purred, sitting up straight in his chair as he stared at the imposing pureblood flanked by the redhead in her sexy black sheath dress and the blond in his Night Class uniform, "to what do we owe this visit?"<p>

The brunet took the high-backed chair Aurora impulsively pulled back for him, nodding his thanks at her for the action she hadn't fully knocked out of herself yet from her servant days despite his and Takuma's patient attempts to school her into the confident noble she had every right to be, both by her blood and her actions. "Asato Ichijo was my appointed guardian, regardless of my request for independence. It is my right to attend the meeting concerning his estate, never mind that I am here on Aurora Ichijo's own request."

"I'm sorry," a woman to his side questioned, an ashen blond like Ruka, spreading an elegant yellow fan over her pinched mouth, "but there is no Aurora on the records of Asato's will or anywhere on the Ichijo family tree."

The redhead's jaw came up, a belligerent exposure of her throat that clearly stated she wasn't afraid of them. "My mother is not on the family tree because she was a human seer," she hissed, deliberately extending her fangs just enough to demonstrate that the quality hadn't been expressed in herself, "and I was sired out of wedlock. I have not come forward until recently because until now, events have allowed me to live comfortably without exposing my true heritage to any save Kaname-sama." That wasn't exactly the truth, Kaname had known she was a dhampir sired by an Ichijo but she hadn't been aware that he'd learned this fact from her blood until he'd told her in the car while they were on their way here, but neither vampire seemed inclined to dispute the fact. "Besides," she added, "the Kurans and the Ichijos are directly related, and I doubt that the fact is immediately obvious short of actually comparing the two bloodlines." Underneath the table, Takuma's hand stole over to hers, squeezing tightly in a congratulations of how she had handled the Senate with enough presumption and fire to let them know that she was just as sure of her actions as Kaname himself was, but the pureblood refrained from such actions, knowing they weren't quite called for yet. He'd praise Aurora once they'd left the Senate far behind them. "But if you insist," she continued, her eyes flashing that sharp green, "I would not mind letting a neutral third party taste my blood to determine if I am indeed an Ichijo."

Takuma's eyes lit up a bright crimson as he yanked her behind him, Kaname even visibly shifting his posture slightly into a better position to protect her should anyone attempt to take up her bold statement. Assuming Kaname was protecting his mate, it was natural for Takuma himself to react so violently to such a proposal from his sister and would have happened if anyone else from his family, including Asato, had offered his blood as well, the first man replied, "That won't be necessary, Aurora-san. You have no reason to lie to the Senate on a matter such as this one, and if you were going to tell such a blatant lie, it would make more sense for you to pretend to be a Kuran than an Ichijo." Behind the blond, where no one could see it, she fidgeted slightly at the last part of his words, but no one notice other than Kaname himself, but he withheld his opinion about the action for a later time. "But this does lead to the very interesting matter of Asato's will."

The pureblood's eyes narrowed slightly, recalling the document from memory and instantly pinpointing the section in question without needing any further explanation. "In the event of my death," he stated dryly, quoting the fancy handwriting from a handful of times he'd seen the important parchment and witnessed it, "the eldest person able to claim Ichijo blood and to take over my seat on the Vampire Senate must do so. If he or she does not wish to claim my position, he or she may relinquish his or her claim to whomsoever he or she chooses, and so on."

Takuma nodded, recalling the same document as well. "Since Aurora is only nearing her sixteenth birthday in the next month or so, that makes Kaname the oldest at 18, then me at a few months younger."

"Not quite, Takuma," Aurora spoke up, getting the undivided attention of everyone in the room. "Senate protocol bans a pureblood from holding a seat on the Senate, if only to prevent the very class system put in place to protect said purebloods from letting those purebloods abuse their power and influence the members on the council, that is, if there wasn't compulsion involved in the equation to start with."

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><p>Zero sighed as he entered Kaname's private chambers, looking around for where'd he set down his Disciplinary Committee patch, and froze at the sight of the neko boy sitting at a chessboard, his yellow eyes narrowed as he contemplated the board, his hand resting on a battered bronze bishop. "Katsu?" he asked, somewhat unnerved by the fact that the shapeshifter hadn't shown up on his senses until he was sighted, "What are you doing in Kaname's room? Surely you know he, Takuma, and Aurora are at some kind of meeting tonight."<p>

"It may not seem like it," the black-haired boy replied, his tail flicking behind him as he restored his scent, recognizing the hunter would be much more comfortable if he could properly smell him, "but both Kaname and I go way back, further back than anyone else I know who's still alive, except for my family of course, but I do believe many of them exterminated by vampires. Most generally don't like us shapeshifters. They think we play too many games in our interactions with outsiders, which is understandable considering that our lifespans typically extend many times longer than any other creature, including even the pureblood vampire, and I do agree that my cousins and siblings are too busy in their endless pursuit for power over each other, but then again, I also agree that they play quite complicated games themselves." His keen nose picked up the slight relief from not being roped into the group of vampires, a classification he'd been trying to deny for so long, and the sudden insecurity from knowing both that Kaname and Katsu had been close for a very long time and that vampires liked to play with people. "Relax, Zero, Kaname's absolutely infatuated with you. He couldn't care less about me, as if I'd let him when Takuma's so good to me, and while he too manipulates people, he does it to protect the people he loves, a category you fall neatly inside."

"What was he like when you met him?" he asked, fighting back the jealousy that Kaname wasn't here to tell him these things himself and that Katsu apparently held such a large part of Kaname's past in his hand.

"Lonely," he replied, sighing deeply as he got up, striding towards the door. "Kaname was very lonely, even with me by his side during the wars and everyone fretting over his safety. He liked me because I knew who and what he was and didn't treat him differently like everyone else did." He smiled ruefully, indicating the single bronze bishop with a nod of his head, the one at odds with the remainder of the plain ebony and ivory pieces. "I remember that when we first met, chess was a fairly new game. I was the one who taught him how to play, but he was much better at it than I was. In fact, that very bishop is all that I believe is left of the original set we played with."

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><p>Takuma looked uncomfortable. He didn't want to take a position on the Senate, that would open him up for ridicule if Katsu was ever discovered and his lover for execution in such an event, but with Kaname illegible and Aurora too young for such a responsibility, he knew it was up to him to take the position. "I-" he began, but before he could continue, Aurora threw him onto the table, expertly pinning him before he could get over the shock and giving him a harsh nip to the throat, drawing blood. "Aurora-chan!" he gasped, his hand flying to his neck to cover the holes her fangs had punctured in his flesh, his emerald eyes wide with shock. Even Kaname looked somewhat surprised by her actions, though if the emotion was only present in his wine red eyes.<p>

"There," she said to herself, her tongue swiftly cleaning a few spatters of stray blood from her lip, though that was the only blood of his that she'd actually ingested. She raised her gaze to glare at the other Senate members, her eyes that beautiful burning beryl coloring that they took when her bloodlust spiked. "According to Title Sixteen Chapter Six Section Eighteen, by asserting my dominance over Takuma, the eldest viable candidate for the Senate seat, I have just invalidated his bid and left no choice for the position other than myself. In addition, he is the oldest living descendant of Asato Ichijo, so the action also caused everything in his inheritance to be transferred to myself, but since I have no interest in taking such things by force when he would gladly give me them if I asked, I forfeit my right to the Ichijo fortune and estate save for that one Senate seat."

Kaname took pains to keep the sudden burst of pride from his eyes at how his Aurora had managed to manipulate the Senate so blatantly and in a manner that they couldn't dispute since it followed the very rules they'd established. "But Aurora-san!" the woman protested, her fan snapping shut, "You are much too young to take on such a duty!"

"Which is why all my votes shall be taken by proxy," she replied coldly. "Now if you would excuse me, I would like to return to Cross Academy and my boyfriend who is ever-so-patiently awaiting my return."

* * *

><p>"Hanabusa, Akatsuki," Yuki said quietly, mildly exasperated, "it's no point playing Mario Kart if you're only going to let me win."<p>

The younger blond blushed as he threw down his controller. "I didn't let you win!" he protested, crossing his arms grumpily as he glared angrily at the innocent Wii wheel with enough malice to put it in a reasonable amount of danger of being frozen to the floor. "Yoshi just drives worth shit."

Akatsuki chuckled at that, his Luigi managing to get into a decent third place while Hanabusa's Yoshi spun out in eleventh. "Hanabusa, you drove into the chain chomp about seven times and off the course somewhere closer to thirteen." Ruka teased coldly, enjoying poking fun of the blond.

"Oh yeah?" he demanded, whirling around to glare at the ashen blonde. "I'd like to see you do better!"

Without another word, she grabbed the Gamecube controller that was on the footrest, settling herself beside Yuki on the couch while Hanabusa sprawled himself out on the floor and leaned against Akatsuki's legs from where he perched on the couch. With glee, he chose the next course, Rainbow Road, and ignored the sounds of Rima and Senri get beat soundly at blackjack, which was being taught by a gleeful dealer Ichiru and a taciturn Zero, who looked more in the mood for poker than blackjack with his scowl. As Senri lost yet another hand to Zero, how the two silverets were so good at winning the Cheez-its they were gambling with he didn't know though he had a sneaking suspicion that the younger twin was cheating and the older one simply smarter at avoiding that cheating than the two nobles were, he looked up, noticing that Katsu, who had firmly denied playing a gambling game and citing that he hadn't gambled since 1294, had disappeared. However, a new hand and the sound of Hanabusa's shock that Ruka had managed to not just push him off the course and cause him to get last place but also finish in first with Yuki in a close second were more than enough to distract him from the shapeshifter that was his friend's lover.

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><p>Aurora picked up the little black cat patiently waiting for her outside the Senate building while Takuma and Kaname continued to discuss the finer details of Ichio's will, ruffling his soft fur with her fingers. "Thank you," she murmured softly. "If you hadn't told me that would work so well, I don't think I would have gone along with it." At that, the kitten merely yawned at her, his yellow eyes slitting closed slightly with the movement as he rearranged himself in her arms and fell soundly asleep next to her warmth.<p>

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><p>Dawn: Erm, I know it's not really M worthy, but since it will be before my return, I'm gonna leave it up under M...<p>

Kaname: I can't believe Yuki got the whole Moon Dorm playing Mario Kart...

Zero: Where'd they even get a Mario Kart anyway?

Takuma: *slowly backs away guiltily*

Katsu: I don't even know how to play Mario Kart...

Ichiru: *evil smile* I'd be happy to teach you...

Dawn: Review while I'm gone, please! And for this chapter, well, REVIEWS=MARIO KART!

Kaname: Well, we'll see you soon, but Dawn won't until she gets back, so until then... BYE DAWN!

Dawn: *walks away*

*the instant she's gone, a party starts up*


	2. 2: The Skeleton in the Closet Is Invited

**Neoko-chan: **Hi! *waves* While Dawn is away I'm supposed to update for her and watch these idoits.

**Zero, Kaname, Takuma, Katsu and Ichiru: **HEY! *give death glares*

**Neoko: ***laughs nervously* On with the story!

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><p>Chapter Two: The Skeleton in the Closet Is Invited in for Tea<p>

Aurora knew Kaname had offered to have her driven back to Cross Academy, but she'd turned down his request, explaining her desire to simply walk back with hands spread and a gentle smile on her face. Besides, it wasn't as if the overprotective pureblood would let her be alone; he'd ordered Seiren to follow her, just to reassure himself that she would be safe. Aurora was dear to him, but as if that wasn't enough reason to protect the redhead, if she was hurt, Ichiru would be hurting, and thus Zero hurting for his twin, and Kaname didn't want Zero hurting in any way.

The redhead stopped before an alley, her head cocking to the side as she saw the Level D vampire, only noticing the glimmering collar of magical energy around his neck when she let her eyelids drift to half-mast. He bowed before her, his dirty blond hair falling over his eyes as he deeply dipped before her. "Aurora-sama," he breathed, "please, come with me."

Her slender fingers stretched out to touch the magical collar, those sharp sea-green eyes noticing the way he shuddered when she made contact with it. "I'm guessing your master made that rather crudely and to be very sensitive, no?" she hazarded.

His breath was coming out in harsh pants as he jerked back. "No, no, it is just right for me," he muttered, obedience drilled into him even so far away from his master. "Now please, Aurora-sama, come." Shrugging absently and with a glance back down the street where she had come, vaguely sensing the vampire that had been following her since she'd left the Senate building, she fell into line behind the exhuman easily.

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><p>Takuma's characteristic smile faded from his face when he saw the black kitten sitting on the bench patiently for him to emerge from the Senate's chambers. He strode over, quickly scooping the feline up into his arms and dragging his fingers over the dark fur as they left the building, only the strange light to his emerald eyes exposing his discomfort. It wasn't until they were inside the car and Kaname had put the soundproof divider between them and the driver before he scolded, "Dammit Katsu, I told you to stay back at Cross, and you know I don't like it when you're in that damn form!" <em>It makes me think you're going to end up stuck that way, like you were when Shizuka bit me.<em>

The kitten mewed in obvious apology, his ears drooping as he placed a single little paw on the vampire's arm and looked up at him with his large yellow eyes until the noble sighed heavily, leaning down to nuzzle the feline's forehead. "To be honest," Kaname muttered to himself, pointedly looking out the window as the small cat lapped at the scab from the bite Aurora had made on Takuma's neck until it fully healed over, "this explains how Aurora knew so much about what to do to prove her dominance over you. Most vampires do it with a firm bite to the jugular, but she did it in more of a sharp nip to the underside of your jaw than anything, classic assertive behavior for shapeshifters, never mind that the clause she pulled out on them was definitely an older one," here his gaze turned both playful and recollective, no doubt as he recalled a fonder memory with the black-haired male, "one I do believe Katsu himself put into place." The little feline didn't say anything in his defense, just grumbled out a response as he happily buried himself deeper into the blond's warm embrace since changing back now would only freak out the driver when he came to get the two vampires out and leave him rather short on clothing, not that Kaname hadn't seen it all before, but he'd rather not explain that fact to his lover at this very moment, thank you very much.

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><p>The first thing to make Aurora think she might want to run was when she noticed the Kuran coat of arms emblazoned on the wrought-iron gates they were walking through, but she was too concerned with the poor vampire's predicament to turn back now. She followed him into the elegant mansion, her sea green eyes carefully examining the dusty surroundings and the beautiful surroundings as they strode through the sweeping halls, up the staircase, and into what was once a study but for the empty bookshelves, the books scattered about on the floor with their contents spilling from their covers like the broken wings of a bird, the ink looking far too much like dried blood for her tastes. She bent down, scooping up one such victim, her pale fingers carefully supporting the shredded book as she examined the page she'd turned to. She recognized it as a passage from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, reading it aloud quietly: " 'You must create a female for me, with whome I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This alone you can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede.' "<p>

"But Aurora, shouldn't it be me saying those words to you rather than the other way around?" She whirled around, the book falling from her hands and thumping loudly against the ground, and backed up, noticing the vampire leaning against the wall across the room from her. He looked up at her cheekily, eyes flashing. "After all, you are the one I have chosen to be my female." When she gasped, he sprung upon her, his body crashing into hers and throwing them both onto the floor, him straddling her as his mouth played along her throat. Tears appeared in her eyes as she struggled against him, but his powers were far quicker than hers were, shredding her clothes apart as he shimmied his pants down to pool around his knees.

"No!" she screamed, renewing her struggling even more, but he easily withstood her attacks, thrusting into her virgin depths roughly and not bothering to even give her a moment to adjust before he was already searching for his release, pushing her against the floor with every one of his attacks. She cried out, tears falling from her eyes as her body reacted on an instinctual level, hips rocking back to meet his harsh thrusts, her hand coming up to muffle her choked anguish. Her eyes gleamed a bright green-red as one of her fangs scraped against her knuckle, but the final scream came when his fangs inserted themselves into her jugular, his warmth coating her insides as she passed out.

He pulled himself from her after a long moment, pulling his pants back up and buckling the belt once more. He wiped his mouth off with the back of one hand, only to lap at the bittersweet blood coating his skin. He had taken the girl roughly he knew, his fangs making a mess of her, but he couldn't be bothered to give her any of his own blood to heal up the gaping wound in her slender neck or the crimson-mixed-white leaking from her vagina. His sensitive hearing picked up the sound of someone in the foyer, no doubt his servant dying to keep his secret, but he couldn't care less about the expendable Level D he had created specifically for this purpose. "Don't you understand, Aurora," he hissed, "that you are _my_ plaything, _mine_ to break?" He leaned down, a smirk twisting his features as he figured out exactly how to torment her even more. "And break you I shall." He rested one hand on her forehead for a long moment, looking over his shoulder to see the silverette at the door with her glowing red eyes, bared fangs, and unsheathed claws, but he just waved sarcastically at her and let himself slip fully into the shadows.

* * *

><p>Kaname had come back and promptly sat down on the couch, tugging Zero down on his lap and playing with the blushing prefect's hair. When Katsu came back, wearing one of Takuma's spare uniforms and burying his nose happily into the scent whenever he thought no one was looking at him, the pair of them sat down on a different couch, their bodies so tangled together that it was hard to tell which limb belonged to whom. Suddenly, Seiren was framed in the doorway carrying an unconscious Aurora, her naked body hidden only by the folds of the vampire's own coat. "I'm sorry, Kaname-sama," she whispered, her gaze traveling to the floor, Ichiru, who was cleaning up the other nobles and Yuki's "bets" now that Zero had stopped playing, freezing up at the guilt in her tone and the sight of his love interest, "I failed to protect Aurora-sama."<p>

The table they were all playing cards at spontaneously burst into flames, Yuki and Ruka letting out startled cries as they pushed away, Akatsuki yanking Hanabusa back and Rima catching Senri's arm before he could touch his trailing sleeve to the table. The two blonds focused their attention on the table, the blue-eyed male freezing the surface while the golden-haired one tried to put the fire under control. "Aurora!" Ichiru cried, scrambling over to the vampire, but it was Rima who beat him to taking the girl from the bodyguard.

"Let me check her for injuries, Ichiru-kun," the blonde noble said, gently balancing Aurora in her arms. "It won't do for you to inspect her with your feelings for her, and I take it you would prefer one of us girls to take care of her than anyone else, even if all the guys here except Senri _are_ gay."

"Let her, Ichiru-kun," Kaname murmured, fixing his wine red eyes on the distraught exhunter and the redhead. "Rima is one of the best healers of us, short of myself. She won't let Aurora hurt."

"And Kaname-sama," Seiren said, her cheek upturned as if expecting a slap, "I know who it is who did this to poor Aurora-sama." She took a shaky breath, steeling her nerve. "Rido Kuran-sama was the one who hurt Aurora-sama."

Three things happened in very quick succession. A flash concoction of ice froze everyone's legs to the ground as Ichiru's anger spiked and the chilly winds whipped up by his rage reacted to the moisture in the air. The large glass window beside them shattered, Kaname's eyes burning a brilliant scarlet now. A loud snarl ripped through the room, Katsu's entire body trembling as fur sprouted on his arms and his yellow eyes gleamed while he tried to fight back his inner beast for Takuma's sake; the blond was too close to him to avoid injury if he lost control here. "The bastard!" he growled, his panting slowly slightly as the noble's fingers ran along his body soothingly and a pair of warm lips pressed themselves to the underside of his jaw.

"Katsu," Kaname said, something in his eyes that managed to undo whatever progress Takuma had made with the shapeshifter.

"No, Kaname! No, goddammit, no!" The pureblood merely raised an eyebrow at his ferverant response, causing him to yell, "I'm not going back there at all, and not with anyone else either!"

"Okay," Zero asked, leveling his scariest glare at Katsu, which didn't scare the neko in the least, "what am I missing here?"

"Shapeshifters all have the ability to travel to different dimensions, which is handy considering that most of them having sprawling estates there. I was merely going to suggest that he let us, or at least Yuki and the others, stay at his estate, Journey's End," Kaname explained blankly, recognizing that the black-haired male wasn't going to anytime in the near future.

"No!" the neko growled, in enough danger of lunging forward and doing some serious damage to Kaname that Takuma wrapped his arms around the trembling black-haired boy's waist, "I haven't been to Journey's End in over two thousand years, Kaname!"

"Katsu," the pureblood sighed, pushing Zero from his lap regretfully in order to get to his feet, towering over the seated shapeshifter held in place by his blond lover, "Journey's End is far safer than anywhere in the realms, not only due to the fact that your estate has survived countless wars, because there are precious few ways anyone can enter the property, especially _without _your permission."

"I will not take my family to a mansion designed and built for war, Kaname!" he roared, fangs glinting in his mouth even as his eyes blazed the bright yellow of a star.

"Is that really why you are so adamant not to return home, Katsu, or is it because of Epona?" At the name, the black-haired youth lost all control, leaping for Kaname's throat, but the pureblood had been expecting that reaction, using the borrowed white uniform jacket for leverage to throw the other male against the wall, pinning him there with one hand against his throat and ignoring the plaster raining down on them both. "I figured as much. You haven't changed in all the time I've known you, Katsu, and I don't think you ever will either!"

"Katsu," Takuma asked innocently from the couch, acting as if the scene before him wasn't happening, even though Zero looked torn between shooting the pureblood and yanking him in for a hot kiss and the other nobles and Yuki were simply standing there and staring at him in shock, "who's Epona?"

"Tell him," Kaname ordered the silent neko, "or I will." The black-haired boy seemed to consider for a brief moment before he snarled, yanking himself free to backhand Kaname bodily across the room and stalk away, his tail swishing angrily behind him, though it was an arrested movement because Takuma moved quickly to pull the distraught neko into his arms, nuzzling between that upright pair of ears twitching with anger and indignation.

"You can tell me, Victory," he whispered softly, planting gentle kisses on that soft black hair and firmly ignoring the way the others left the room, only an embarrassed and out-of-place Zero and an impatient Kaname remaining behind. "I won't leave you, no matter who she is to you."

He pulled out of Takuma's embrace, padding to the door and pausing in the frame, not looking at the blond in fear of what he would find in those expressive emerald eyes. "She's my first lover, my stablemaster, and the reason why I lost my second life."

* * *

><p>Aurora was awake when the others came into the room, clothed in a silver silk nightgown that made her look all the more like a goddess of the moon, and her green eyes lit up with happiness when Ichiru came in and gently pulled her into his arms. When she saw Senri, however, she let out a little scream, trying to backpedal herself into Ichiru's firm chest. Those handsome ice blue eyes had triggered something inside her, a memory of pain and blood. It was only when the silveret began murmuring soothing nothings and leaning in to kiss away her tears that she realized she was saying things. "Ichiru," she murmured softly, her voice trembling in fear and horror, "that damn pureblood bastard <em>raped<em> me."

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><p><strong>Neoko: <strong>Ooh, is it just me, or did it get _hawt _in here?

**Alucard:** *pops in* It's just you.

**Neoko, Zero and Takuma: **Hey! How did you get in here?

**Kaname: **Isn't it obvious? I let him in...

**Katsu: ***is Neoko's expression* Oh boy. You're gonna get it now...

**Neoko:** _KANAME!_

**Kaname: **I'll be taking me leave... *runs*

**Aurora and Ichiru: **Remember to Review!


	3. 3: Journey's End

Dawn: Between the waking up at 11 at night (my time) to get to the airport, the 8.5 hour flight, the 4 hour wait for our next flight, nearly being left behind due to a stupid mistake by the airport before my connection, the two hour flight home, then the train ride back, followed by the car (another hour), I'm exhausted. Guys, just do the disclaimer, I'll yell at you tomorrow.

Kaname: ... ImmortalDawn18 does not own Vampire Knight.

Zero: *is hurriedly getting rid of party gear*

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><p>Chapter Three: Journey's End<p>

That day, Katsu didn't sleep in Takuma's bed for the first time since he'd been begged by the blond shortly after the fight to stop transforming and he'd stormed off to interrupt Kaname's attempt to bed Zero and kicked the pureblood out of his own bed in a most comically amusing fashion, leaving the brunet to go back to Zero's room for the day. Today, however, it was increasingly obvious he hadn't gone to a bed, especially when Takuma, frantic with worry that was better than any amount of caffeine at driving his drowsiness about being so active during the daytime from his veins, had already searched all the places he was likely to go and all the rooms of the irritated and sleepy Night Class. "Look Takuma," Kaname said, looking quite ruffled in his silk pajamas and as if he just wanted to sleep now that Zero had gone to his last day of proper classes until the fall, "Katsu wouldn't leave you. Just give him some time to come around on his own, okay?"

* * *

><p>It wasn't until four in the afternoon that Katsu resurfaced, this time in the main foyer and the state of his stained t-shirt making it look as if he'd been working hard the entire time he'd been gone; unfortunately for the Night Class, he did so only to knock on the doors of Kaname and his inner circle of nobles, dragging them from sleep and down into the secure yet cobweb-infested depths of the Moon Dorm's basement to stand in the panic room none of them knew they had, some kind of flat and slender object hidden under a white sheet that had turned brown with dust. "Ladies and gentlemen," the shapeshifter purred, his tail flicking behind him proudly as he yanked the sheet from what turned out to be an elegant golden-framed full-length mirror, "if you would please step through the mirror." Zero, Ichiru, and Aurora were already present, the hunter looking just as thoughtful as the redhead in Ichiru's embrace, obviously too weak and injured to stand on her own yet, and the ones who were the most skeptical of Katsu's sanity. Kaname didn't hesitate to follow the shapeshifter's instructions, obviously having done something similar to this before judging by his ease in stepping into the water-like rippling glass and disappearing, the rest of the other nobles too sleepy to protest, though Takuma pointedly attached himself to Katsu's side. "Go on," the black-haired male encouraged, gesturing to the mirror with a straight face. "I promise everything will become clear in a moment." Shrugging, the elder twin stepped through first, followed by the silveret and redhead, the blond vampire following after a moment, his lover only a few seconds behind.<p>

"What the hell?" Zero breathed, surprised by the seemingly-endless expanse of forest he was seeing behind the shimmering gold gates before them, the various aristocrats even appearing quite impressed with the splendor of the place while Kaname merely had a look on his face that gave the impression he'd been here before. "Where are we?"

Katsu strode forward then, a single touch of his hand to the golden metal in their way causing them to swing open where all of Yuki's excited antics had not. "If I may," he said, bowing deeply while holding the gates for a moment between his fingers while he spoke, "I would like to welcome you to my humble estate, otherwise known as Journey's End." His gaze turned playful then as he strode over around the side of an elegant pillar that held the gate's hinges, leading forward an elegant, albeit rather large, white open-top carriage of the kind reserved for royalty, pulled by three rows of three horses each, in order from the front to the carriage, three animals of each color for the different rows: light grays, palominos, and coal-black horses, all of them Arabians and seemingly bred exclusively for speed. "Shall we?" he asked, seating himself happily at the raised seat obviously meant for the coachman, taking the three sets of reins into his hands with an expert manner that spoke of his experience.

Sensing that the confined nature of the carriage, while better than a closed-in coach, would be too much contact for poor Aurora, Ichiru set the redhead up on the seat beside the black-haired neko before climbing in himself, sitting directly behind her so that she could snake her hand down to clasp it to his. Yuki happily climbed in next, claiming a window seat, while Kaname settled himself across from her, slyly yanking Zero onto his lap when the hunter wasn't paying attention to him. Takuma looked wistfully up at the coachman's seat but nonetheless climbed in, choosing to wedge himself in between Kaname and Ichiru if only to put his back to his lover. Ruka was next, seating herself to the far side of Yuki's bench, and Akatsuki copied Kaname's manner of sitting, pulling his cousin onto his lap even though they both could have sat down with the slender females. Katsu clicked the horses into a very smooth trot, driving them down a snaking dirt path, while Yuki delightedly expressed awe at the passing landscape, Kaname merely appearing mildly bored, even if Zero could feel his muscles uncoiling as they continued into the trees. Since the brunette was responding so positively to the experience, Katsu chuckled and informed her that he would be delighted to give everyone a tour of his entire property tomorrow, all on horseback since the grounds were too extensive to explore on foot in a night.

"Yuki," Kaname interrupted smoothly, having kept track of their progress and wanting to share something with the others. "Look up."

"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head back and gasping when they suddenly left the confines of the trees and were riding through a beautiful meadow, though it was obvious the brunet had wanted her to see the gleaming and leaping stars that adorned the night sky in a manner that was so much more spectacular than anything one could see from Earth with or without a telescope. "Oh wow!"

"They're physical manifestations of the magical energy thrumming through this part of the dimension, the part of my own creation," the neko informed, a subtle shift of his fingers slowing the horses to a walk so that the others could better appreciate the light show.

"Please," Kaname said, rolling his eyes at their child-like wonder, "you should have seen the way they lit up the last time I was-" He let out an undignified yelp, turning his head to glare at the smirking neko who'd just used his slender tail to smack the pureblood upside the head, the offending appendage now curled around Takuma's arm. He easily read the message in those eyes, that the shapeshifter's magic had been so much stronger back then than it was now, when he was on his very last life and the brink of a neko's death. He might have been young as far as a pureblood vampire like Kaname was concerned and a mere child by the terms of his long-lived race, but by those same terms, he was also near ancient simply for being on his ninth life.

There were slight groans all around as they slipped back into the trees once more, but Katsu merely flicked the horses on again, steering them through the trees for a few moments before he brought them to another clearing, this one dominated by a large white marble fountain with gold and onyx statues of a lion and a panther curled around each other and a large white cobblestone turnabout leading to a stately mansion that looked as if it were a plantation house from the old South, back easily before the Civil War (1861-1865) but likely dating back to closer around the Revolutionary War (1775-1778), if not earlier. When he gently pulled the horses to a stop, a beautiful girl with beige cat ears and brunette hair that was dark enough to almost look black strode forward, bowing before the coach even as she bent to kiss Katsu's hand. "Master Nike, you have returned!" She straightened, revealing eyes as silver as the moon or the Kiryu twins' hair. "As you have requested, the arrangements for the living quarters have been made however not all the chores required for guests have been completed yet."

He smiled, taking in her plain dark green gown, the perfect shade for blending into the forest around the manor. "That's fine, not what I would have desired but manageable. I will have to show everyone around some and explain some of the place's quirks before I can do much, and I expect that will take most of the remainder of the night along with settling into their rooms. If you could take these horses to the stables, untack them, and prepare another one for me, I would be most grateful."

She bowed once more. "Yes, I thought you would prefer to check the wards on the border yourself. Would you prefer Rustic Luck or Taking Jerusalem?"

"Actually, if you could ready Daybreak's Gift first, followed by Sweet Revenge and Breaking Boundaries, I would appreciate it. I want Rustic and Jerusalem well-rested for tomorrow's tour of the grounds."

"Of course, Master Nike." By this time, everyone was out of the carriage, Takuma merely watching the exchange with confusion. Then, to everyone's surprise, the girl squealed in delight and darted down from where she had been about to mount the coachman's seat, springing into a death-grip hug with Kaname, kissing him soundly on both cheeks. "Kaname-sama!" she cried, "It's a pleasure to see you again!" Freeing herself from his embrace, she bowed once more, returning to her decorum though there was still a flush on her cheeks from her exuberance. "You will be happy to know that nobody has ventured inside your room since you were here last, not even to keep the dust from collecting or to clean up after whatever was left inside."

He chuckled softly, wrapping an arm pointedly around Zero and drawing the hunter closer to him. "Thank you, Epona. You've proven yourself as thoughtful and thorough as always."

She murmured a quiet appreciative thanks as she remounted the carriage, expertly flicking the reins and trotting the horses back around the bend and down the path. However, as if sensing Takuma's insecurity, Katsu added, "I doubt any of us will be seeing all too much of Epona, including me, if only because she is the Stablemaster and prefers to accomplish her job without being observed. She's never been one for company since I spared her from my sister's wrath by bringing her here."

Waiting at the door were several large lions, their coloring strange and bodies slightly transparent. One of them, an impressive creature with blood-red hair, reared up on his hind legs, wrapping one large foreleg around the neko's shoulder in a mockery of a hug. "Yes, yes, Simba, I intend to introduce you to the others," he laughed, playfully shoving the animal back down onto all fours. Meanwhile, Kaname was distracted with running his hands over a large affectionate female who seemed to enjoy his caress the same way a housecat would, the large cat content to ignore Zero's presence for now.

"Kaname-sama!" Hanabusa cried, his eyes wide with concern for his pureblood leader. What if the lioness decided to snap at the brunet, or worse, reared up on him like the other lion had?

"Relax, all of you," the black-haired boy reassured them, his own fingers tangling in the fiery mane of the lion rubbing up against his hip, the other animals merely sitting on their haunches and watching the company intensely. "None of the lions, or any of the animals in this house for that matter, will hurt you. They're mostly incorporeal servants, though if they will turn into flesh and blood if the estate's defenses are breached." He leaned over to give a purposeful look at Kaname, waiting until the pureblood met his eyes. "Anyway, Kaname, you know the place as well as I do. Could you and Simba give the tour and explain how to use the servants? I have about 2.25 million acres of land to protect tonight, and even if only about 240 miles of it needs to be inspected, it'll still take me most of the night."

Kaname nodded. "Of course," he replied, letting Katsu by to stride back outside, mount the handsome cream-colored horse with dark brown legs, and ride hard for the gate, his white Night Class uniform jacket streaming out behind him like a pair of wings. "All right, well, the tour's not going to take all too long since the sun's coming up soon, but like what Katsu told me when I first came here way farther back than I would care to remember, the servants will respond to 'G' or a name that you bestow on a particular animal, which he wouldn't mind if you do since most of them don't have names otherwise. The cook's name is Leo, and this little girl here," he said, patting the lioness's side, "is named Lionne, my personal servant here. Simba is the head of staff and Katsu's personal servant, so only call him if it's important."

* * *

><p>After escorting everyone to the rooms Simba had assigned for them, though Takuma didn't like the elegant room of soft greens painted to look like a rainforest and promptly said he'd rather explore the library for a while and wait for Katsu's return, Kaname led a tired Zero to his own room since the hunter had insisted on knowing where the pureblood would be sleeping, an expansive circular thing at the very back corner of the top floor. Rubbing a soothing circle onto the hunter's palm, he opened the door and froze at the sight of beautiful black and red blood-stained armor strewn about the floor, rusty blades littering the ground, stains covering the floor and walls where something bloody had landed, and more than a few anti-vampire arrows resting on the bed covered in dried pure vampire blood. "Kaname," Zero breathed, covering his nose and mouth with his hands as his lavender eyes betrayed shock and horror, "what is the meaning of this?"<p>

"Oh yes," Kaname murmured softly, his gaze turning to the wall outside his personal rooms as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "I'd forgotten that the last time I'd been here was during the Kings' Crusade in the late 1100s." Not wanting to face this part of his past quite yet, he closed the door firmly, mentally ordering Lionne to get around to cleaning the place thoroughly so that it would be his to sleep in the next morning. "Zero, do you mind if I slept with you in your room tonight? If not, I'm sure Takuma wouldn't mind sharing his-"

The hunter pressed his lips to those of the Level A's, his tongue playfully teasing the brunet's fangs for a moment before he pulled away, a mischievous spark in his lavender eyes. "Of course I don't mind sharing with you, Kaname," he murmured. "Just know that I have no intention of having sex tonight, I'm too damn," he broke off here, yawning widely, "tired."

"Of course," the brunet replied, scooping the exhausted exhuman into his arms and carrying him back down to the meadow-like room Simba had allocated to the hunter. He was already resigned to receiving a speech from Katsu the next morning about having sex on his sheets and to keeping Zero from seeing his ears and tail. The silveret didn't know Kaname had retained the dog ears and tail he'd possessed after the initial transformation and Kaname had no intention of enlightening his love interest. He was determined to rid himself of the painful reminders that he had been bested, especially since, deep down, he feared Zero would leave him if he knew the pureblood had such strange attributes.

* * *

><p>Hanabusa couldn't sleep. His bed was too big, not at all like the ones back at Cross Academy. Groaning loudly at his continued inability to sleep, he moodily snapped out, "G!" as he pushed back the sheets and sat up in his bed. A handsome lion, this one with russet fur and a black mane, appeared a few feet in front of him, his head cocked expectantly, but the blond was too concerned with trying to find something decent to wear in case he ran into Yuki (he couldn't care less if Ruka thought him indecent or not, to be honest). "Take me to Akatsuki's room!" The lion yawned, spreading himself out on the floor, and the noble glared at the animal. "Please, Scar!" He couldn't help naming the cat after the character from <em>The Lion King<em>; they were too similar for him not to. Lazily getting to his feet once more, he padded to the door, waiting for Hanabusa to open it before he continued walking. The pair strode through a maze of hallways, Kaname may have assured them all that navigating the house would soon become second nature but he wasn't so sure of the occurrence, especially since he usually got lost in the Moon Dorm, a much smaller building, until the newly-dubbed Scar stopped before a white wooden door, sitting and licking a claw absently. He muttered a quiet "Thank you," to the animal before he opened the door and took a deep breath in of Akatsuki's scent, feeling tension he hadn't even known he'd had seep away now that he was with his cousin once more. Without thinking about it, he squirmed under the golden-haired vampire's blankets and into his embrace, easily falling asleep now that he was close to the older vampire once more. Akatsuki's bed may have been even bigger than the one he'd been in before, but with the taller boy's arms wrapped firmly around him, all the blue-eyed blond could think was _Bliss._

* * *

><p>Takuma: Well, since Dawn has fallen asleep on us, it's our job to say good night!<p>

Katsu: Please review!


	4. 4: Let Go of the Past and Strive for the

Dawn: Okay, now that I've had my nine hours of sleep, I'm ready to work again!

Zero: *monotone* Yaaaay.

Dawn: I would also like to apologize for the lack of proofing on what I had! Neoko was supposed to fix my errors, and I was too tired when I came in to do it myself.

Kaname: Well, we forgive you!

Dawn: *glares angrily at him* AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF? I TOLD YOU TO BEHAVE, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, AND YOU GO AND DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT I ASKED! YOU TOO, KATSU!

Kaname: Oh shit.

Katsu: We're in for it now...

Ichiru: I'd recommend Escape Tunnel 15.

Takuma: ImmortalDawn18 does not own Vampire Knight!

* * *

><p>Chapter Four: Let Go of the Past And Strive for the Future<p>

When Katsu returned to the mansion, Daybreak's Gift panting hard and coated in sweat, Simba was waiting for him at the entryway, leaning against Epona, who was quick to take the usually-spirited mare from him. "Master," she said softly, "Why didn't you tell us your new lover was coming?"

His head snapped up from its weary hang, fixing her with a sharp-eyed glare. "Who I take up with is no concern of yours, Epona," he informed her in a dark tone, obviously disapproving, "least of all Takuma."

"It is when you've been neglecting him since Kaname-sama suggested you come here!" she blurted, then squeaked as she covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide and ears flicking back submissively in her fear for what she'd said. She hadn't meant to say something so bold to him about his lover, but recalling the conversation she'd had with the innocently sweet blond in the stables earlier, she couldn't help herself.

_Epona sighed as she cleaned the black, brown, and white leather tack yet another time, knowing that all nine riding horses would need to be ridden tomorrow for the tour. Swift's Justice and Final Velocity may not have been exactly within her responsibilities since Katsu didn't own either of the horses, but she'd kept the white leather saddle and bride spotless for when their true owner, Kaname, came to collect them. She'd even polished the ruby and onyx armor for Velocity, the destrier, along with her master's own silver and gold horse armor for his destrier, Jerusalem. Rustic Luck and Taking Jerusalem both had black leather tack, something that was a little easier to keep spotless, while the only others to have leather other than the normal brown was Crimson Desire, Kaname's favorite of the Thoroughbreds with his white leather; Breaking Boundaries, Epona's personal favorite with her soft light brown leather; and Sweet Revenge, Katsu's preferred Thoroughbred mount with the black leather to perfectly compliment his pale head. She'd already polished the trappings for the nine carriage horses, even though she knew her master would still be at least an hour before his return to Journey's End, and that the other vampires in the house should be asleep already since it was nearing nine in the morning, so she wasn't expecting the soft voice asking, "Epona? Can I talk to you?"_

_She whirled, her cat ears standing upright with her fear to see the blond boy with the emerald eyes from before, the one whose arm her master had curled his tail around in the carriage earlier before he had jumped down from the seat to greet her. "Of course! It is my duty as a servant of Master Katsu to indulge his guests in whatever it is they chose!" She bowed, her ears still stiff from her fright, "What may I do for you?" He bit his lip, bowing deeply to her, causing her to let out a cry and hastily yank him up. "What are you doing? Katsu would be furious to know I let a guest bow to me!" she spluttered, but he just grinned at her._

_"Every time you bow to me, Epona-san, I will bow right back," he informed her cheekily. "I don't want to be treated like I'm more important than I am here."_

_She smiled gently. "Then I feel like I'm at a disadvantage here, what with you knowing my name and me not knowing yours."_

_"My name is Takuma Ichijo."_

_"Well then, Takuma-kun," she asked, tossing her cleaning cloth to the side, "what would you like to speak to me about?"_

_He leaned against the wall, absently petting the horse in the stall beside him who'd awoken and stuck his nose out to see what all the commotion was about. "You were Katsu's lover once, and I was wondering what was the story behind that."_

_She swallowed hard, looking away from him for a moment, barely aware of her gentle instruction to stop petting Mercury's Gamble since the gelding had a fondness for biting the fingers of people he didn't like, which was basically most vampires, or at least Kaname-sama at any rate. "Why would you want to know something like that, Takuma-kun?"_

_He sighed heavily. "I suppose I could say that I'm jealous," he mused aloud. "After all, as Katsu's current lover, I have every right to be, especially since he still seems to hold you dear to him, but more, I'm just wondering if there's something you might know about him to explain his insecurity in the real world but his confidence here. I mean, I love him to death, but I don't want to hurt him."_

_She sighed. "I don't know anything about Master Katsu anymore," she told him sadly, wondering exactly how Katsu would break his heart, the only thing the neko had known about love. "All I know is that he came into the house in a rage last night, told us to ready rooms for ten guests and Kaname-sama, and then left muttering something about having to set up a damn portal."_

"I haven't meant to," Katsu murmured to himself, his yellow eyes regretful now. "I love him, Epona."

"That's what I'm afraid of, Katsu," she told him sadly, leading the tired horse back towards the stables now even as she prepared to ride Mercury's Gamble and Crimson Desire out to fetch Daybreak's Gift and Sweet Revenge from the waystations they'd been left at for fresher mounts, "but if you would like to see him, he's in the library waiting for you."

* * *

><p><em>Kaname could feel the cold metal on his skin, the way the onyx and ruby armor constricted his breathing even as he viewed the bloody battlefield before him from the back of his steed, Final Velocity, and with Bahram beside him, the pale blond neko kneeling on the ground at the right foreleg of his own destrier, Taking Jerusalem, as he tightened the last piece of the horse's lightweight silver and gold armor. Neither male was particularly fond of war, despite having fought in both prior Crusades, but when Bahram had insisted they participate in <em>this _one, if only to keep his troublesome siblings from doing horrible things to the mortals who fought alongside them, Kaname hadn't been able to refuse him. "Are you ready?" the blond asked, cocking his head and letting his ribcage-length pale gold hair fall to the side to reveal a single yellow cat ear poking out from his helmet._

_The brunet opened his mouth to answer, only to let out a loud yelp when something slammed through a small opening in his armor, the miniscule opening between his arm plates and his chest plate. Twisting, he caught the offending object, snapping off the shaft of an arrow, only for another one to hit him in the crease of his brazier. "Vampire hunters," the pureblood hissed, his eyes flaring crimson with anger even as Bahram yanked him from his horse and threw one of his blinding concoctions of gunpowder, the one he'd worked so carefully to perfect, the flashbang. He heard the explosion, a violent thing that startled neither of his horses but sent three of the hunter's mounts skittering back to the Holy City._

_"Fun," the neko remarked, smiling evilly as he pulled a single curved scimitar from his belt, already eying the one on his steed's saddle-bound sheath. "Hunters are much easier to kill than vampires, which are even easier to kill than _my _kind." A single pale yellow eye focused on Kaname, even as the pureblood winced from receiving another shot, that one meant for Bahram's head, straight through his gauntlet. "I'll leave that one to you, my friend. Same bet as usual?"_

_The brunet's jaw firmed, his eyes flashing as they met the light mead of his shapeshifter counterpart's. "You're on," he panted. "Even injured, I can still kill more than you can, kitty cat."_

* * *

><p>"Hey sleepyhead," Katsu murmured, ruffling Takuma's hair as the vampire groggily woke up from where he'd fallen asleep on the desk he'd taken while waiting for his lover to return, "did you miss me?"<p>

"Of course I did," the blond replied, stretching his shoulders and blinking away his tiredness to notice how dead the neko looks on his feet, his ears hanging low on his head even as his tail practically dragged along the ground. "Come here," he said, gently pulling the other into the circle of his arms, "you're exhausted."

"Yeah," he replied, stifling a yawn as he cuddled into the comforting warmth offered by the vampire. "Riding 240 miles between three horses may not be the most tiring thing I've ever done, but it's right up there when you take into consideration that I spent most of yesterday preparing a portal to make sure everyone got here in one piece and then tried riding the trek and repairing a good handful of magical rifts in the barriers on the place." His yellow eyes even opened halfway to look up at the slightly-concerned look of the noble who'd never before seen his cat quite so tired, even after the battle that had nearly killed them both a few months ago at Cross or the extensive trailing through ancient and crumbling manuscripts with Kaname and him following his grandfather's death as everyone tried to make sense of Asato's will, another one of those above mentioned documents. "Something's troubling you, Takuma."

He shook his head, not wanting to feel petty by discussing his feeling of self-worthlessness at the separate rooms when his lover was so obviously exhausted. "It's nothing."

"No, I want to know, Takuma." Seeing the hesitation in those emerald eyes he loved so much, he added a soft, "Please, Takuma."

"I didn't like it when Simba led us all to a room that he'd obviously picked for me and me alone. I'd thought we were sleeping together while we were here, but I'll be okay if I sleep alo-mmph!"

Katsu had kissed him roughly, his tongue plundering the depths of the other vampire's mouth for the brief moment they were in contact before the black-haired neko pulled back once more, resting his head on the aristocrat's firm chest once more. "I'm sorry, Takuma, I forgot to inform Simba you were sleeping in my room with me, and since I hadn't told anyone here of our relationship, he just assumed you were to get your own room like all the others. I'd be delighted if you slept with me."

The vampire chuckled, seeing Simba standing by the doorway patiently awaiting the two to return to bed and not even looking the least bit surprised when Takuma merely tightened his arms around his lover and began carrying him bridal-style. "Only in the literal sense tonight, love, I don't want you to fall asleep in the middle of our pleasure." Katsu mumbled an intelligible affirmative, burying his face in the blond's shoulder and letting the soothing scent of his lover lull him to the shores of Morpheus.

* * *

><p>Zero was awoken by Kaname's whimpering thrashing on his side of the bed, opening his lilac eyes to see the pureblood curled in on himself, tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to flinch down into the bed. "Kaname!" the hunter cried, not even thinking about his own well-being before he threw himself into trying to calm the sleeping brunet, pulling him into his arms and stroking his face with frantic fingers, "Kaname!"<p>

Burning crimson red eyes flew open, fright hiding the gentler wine-red they usually were before the pureblood was burying his face in Zero's bare chest, trembling hard as he sobbed out, "Zero, Zero, Zero," over and over, obviously terrified. The hunter gently carded his fingers through those dark chocolate locks, patiently waiting for Kaname to calm down enough to talk to him and blinking at the feel of gauze beneath his fingertips. Worried that the pureblood might be injured, he peeled the tape off with all the grace of a stumbling duck that someone just fed crack-spiked booze but the speed of a starving man who's just seen an all-you-can-eat buffet. Instantly, a single chocolate brown dog ear popped up, and both males went silent in shock. "Ze-Zero?" the pureblood murmured softly, his eyes still shimmering with unshed tears that the hunter knew would be prevented from falling.

"Ka-Kaname," he uttered, cursing himself from stumbling over his words when it was obvious the brunet needed him desperately right now.

"No, Zero, please, don't leave me, please!" he cried, his grip on the silveret's wrists tightening even though he'd shown no sign of wanting to leave, "I know I've killed so many people and that's I'm far from fucking perfect, but I can't handle being alone again!"

The explerlative falling from those lips sounded so different than when it did from his own, and it was almost like he wanted to purge that sin from his distraught companion, to purge _all _sin from that beautiful soul, when he slanted his lips roughly over Kaname's, letting the pureblood pull off their pajama pants and grind their erections together. Without separating their lips, he fell back onto the mattress, spreading his legs so that the Level A could dominate him as vampire society dictated he must. However, it was a low groan that escaped his mouth as he pushed his head back onto the pillow beneath it even as his hips thrust upwards in search of that lovely pleasure he'd just been thrust into, his silver hair creating a halo on the soft silk. "Ka-Kaname," he panted, lavender eyes hazy with pleasure, "wh-why?"

"Zero," the brunet practically purred, rocking his hips. "Zero."

With sheer force of will, the hunter still those hips, needing a straight answer. "Why, Kaname?"

He leaned down, his mouth naturally fallen on the clean, pale side of the exhuman's neck, layering kiss after kiss on the sensitive flesh. "I don't know," he replied, his lengthening fangs brushing against soft skin with every panting breath he took, every throb of his racing heart. "I don't know." He added a soft, "I'm sorry," before he bit his lover, drinking long draughts of his lover's blood even as the silveret cried out and starting thrusting up wildly into that easily-giving body. Kaname didn't mind the abuse, his pureblood body would heal far faster than the hunter's would even if he had some of that vampire blood in his system, but to be honest, he didn't expect the twin sensation of razor-bladed needles puncturing his own neck as Zero's cock continued to skewer him in every way it possibly could in a relentless search for pleasure. It was that act, the one of drawing his pureblood blood, that had him crying out a passionate "Ze_ro_!" as he painted the silveret's belly and chest with white, hot cum, his tightening ass coaxing the hunter's own ejaculation from him. Almost immediately upon release, the exhuman retreated back into sleep, his arms wrapped possessively around Kaname's chest and fingers tangling in the soft, feather-like fur of that damned tail even as he remained firmly buried inside of the pureblood, but the brunet remained awake for some time, sightlessly staring at nothing as he tried to realize exactly what had just happened.

* * *

><p>Notes on the horses (all are stallion unless specified otherwise):<p>

Kaname's horses: Swift's Justice (Arabian with chocolate fur and black mane/tail), Final Velocity (black destrier)

Katsu's horses: Rustic Luck (rusty gold Arabian with white mane/tail), Taking Jerusalem (light gray destrier)

Other horses (all owned by Katsu as well): Daybreak's Gift (cream-colored Thoroughbred with dark brown legs; mare), Sweet Revenge (Thoroughbred black and white paint; Katsu's favorite Thoroughbred), Breaking Boundaries (Thoroughbred bay with white markings on her legs and white blaze; mare, Epona's favorite), Crimson Desire (Thoroughbred roan with black mane/tail; Kaname's favorite Thoroughbred), Mercury's Gamble (silver-gray/medium gray Thoroughbred with black mane/tail; gelding)

* * *

><p>Zero: Finally, some sex around here!<p>

Kaname: Hey, why am I bottom?

Dawn: *edges away slowly*

Katsu: And as you might have guessed, Bahram is also me, the name also meaning Victory. The name from last chapter, Nike, refers to the Greek goddess of victory.

Takuma: Reviews mean Dawn will release the other two prepared chapters that were supposed to be all out by yesterday!

Dawn: DON'T ENCOURAGE THEM, I STILL HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO CATCH UP ON!

Ichiru: *raises eyebrow* Like what?

Dawn: Well, I still have to write part of a chapter for my friend Necro (from NecroHolic) since she wants my help with the lemon she's gonna be doing this chapter in her story with dragons (On the Wings of a Lover), and then I have the story I wrote while I was gone!

Kaname: And what does that involve?

Dawn: *grins* You and Zero, Takuma and another OMC (Amber/Kohaku), and Hanabusa and Akatsuki. You, Hana-chan, and Kohaku are all human!

Kaname: RIGHT, THAT'S IT! *dives for authoress*

Dawn: *screams bloody murder*

Zero: *sighs heavily and goes to go pry his boyfriend/lover from Dawn* Until next time, dear readers.

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><p>Review-answering:<p>

**mpiedz: **Thanks for reviewing, and as you can see, updates have been good!

**Mina kuran: **Thanks for the compliments, made my day to see those after all that travel, and I hope this update was juicy enough for you!


	5. 5: A Sound Mount for an Unsound Mind

Dawn: *depressed* Hello again for what I hope will not turn out to be the last chapter of this story I end up writing.

Zero: What's with the depressed attitude? You're acting more like me...

Kaname: Yeah, I still wanna screw Zero into the mattress some more!

Takuma and Katsu: *nod in agreement*

Dawn: *sigh* My parents are finally going through the divorce they've been threatening (and me encouraging) for years now, and since Mom's a little scared for what's gonna happen and Dad's likely having an affair on us, I have to be the strong one for my little brother, and what's worse, Dad doesn't know that Mom told me everything and that my little brother overheard enough that Mom had to tell him, so I feel like I'm lying a lot (not all too different from usual, but still...)

Ichiru: *pats Dawn on shoulder comfortingly* ImmortalDawn18 does not own Vampire Knight.

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><p>Chapter Five: A Sound Mount For an Unsound Mind<p>

When Ichiru strode downstairs to the parlor, complete with modern television despite the much older-looking , rubbing his eyes tiredly, he was surprised to see Aurora sitting on the cushions of the old metal couch, her legs pulled up to her chest as she watched the moving colors of the screen without the light in her eyes that spoke of her interest, the OxyClean commercial reflecting almost perfectly in her tired sea-green orbs. "Hey," he murmured, sitting a little ways from her, "how long have you been up?"

"A few hours now," she replied after a long moment, shifting so that her cheek leaned against his broad shoulder. "Every time I close my eyes, I feel _his_ hands on me."

"Are you sure you'll be all right to ride later today?" he asked, hesitantly resting his chin against the top of her head though he refrained from wrapping an arm around her. "After all, I don't want you falling off with exhaustion."

She smiled softly. "I'll be fine," she murmured, deciding against telling him that she'd woken up while resisting the urge to barf her guts out, thankfully there was nothing in her stomach for her to throw up, and could have sworn she felt something protest to her sharp movements as she dry-heaved over the toilet. "I know you won't let me fall."

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><p>Hanabusa tiredly swatted at the poking sensation on his forehead, muttering quiet explerlatives as he buried his face more firmly into the warmth in front of him. Akatsuki blinked at the affectionate way his cousin was acting, but didn't they have to wake up soon so that Katsu could give them a tour of the grounds? "C'mon Hanabusa," he murmured softly, "wake up."<p>

"Mmm, five more minutes," the blond replied sleepily. "I still have to bite Akatsuki..."

The golden blond blushed slightly at the phrase, leaning back in the bed and letting the unexpected but not unwelcome bed intruder cuddle closer to him, those wriggling hips managing to rub right along his hipbone in an absolutely sexy and erotic manner. Figuring that a little nap wouldn't hurt, he closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep again next to his cousin.

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><p>Katsu yawned widely, his ears lying almost flat against his head as he did so and his tail flicking about underneath the silk covers of his bed that was easily large enough to almost be classified as a small island. And yet, despite the sheer size of his bed, only a small portion of it was being used, the part within arms reach of his beautiful lover, Takuma. "Do you have any idea how adorable you look when you've just woken up?" the blond asked quietly, his fingers coming up to play with an ear.<p>

"Mmmmph," the shapeshifter mumbled, leaning into the light caress even as he pushed his torso up. "What time is it?"

"Don't know, don't care. All I can think about right now is wanting to just devour you alive."

"Go right ahead," the neko replied, baring his neck and sweeping his long black hair to the side. "Who knows, maybe drinking from me will stop you from falling off your horse later."

Takuma paused in lovingly layering that bare skin with his tongue. "Wait, falling off? I thought we were riding together!"

"We are. You, Kaname, Zero, and I will be taking our own tour on our four horses while Epona takes everyone else on doubles. Her ride's going to be less strenuous and challenging for the novice riders since I doubt any of the vamps have even _seen_ a horse, let alone ridden one before, but we'll be taking the advanced route. It isn't as if Kaname hasn't done it before, we've _raced_ each other around the trails before, and he assures me that Zero's a good enough rider to at least be able to keep up with us if not surpass us while I'm playing tour guide."

The blond swallowed hard, looking down. "Katsu," he whispered, feeling a tad inadequate for his lover in that instant, "I can't ride."

Katsu smiled gently. "I know, Takuma. I know." He reached down to pet the vampire's hair as if _he_ was the neko in the relationship, not the black-haired male. "But don't worry, you'll be on _my_ personal horse. He won't let you fall, and besides, my memories should be enough to teach you how to keep your seat no matter what happens."

"I'd still feel better if I'd had some practice before you threw me up on a horse, you know," he grouched, then his expression brightened, a devious twinkle in his emerald eyes. "Hey Katsu," he purred, "are you up for going on a ride?"

The neko blinked at him, his tail twitching lustfully as he caught the subtext of the noble's request. "But of course," he replied, somewhat glad that Takuma hadn't been against stripping them both last night even though neither particularly felt up to doing anything more than curling up under the sheets and sleeping the day away, "but you're the one who's going to need to prepare yourself, _rider_." He rolled onto his back, propping himself up with his elbows even though there were numerous fluffy pillows beneath his head, and settled in to watch the show. The blond vampire blushed hotly as he threw the covers off them both, revealing their bodies in all their glory, and gently began lapping at his own fingers, sucking on them like they were his lover's neck, and Katsu grimaced slightly. "Sorry," he murmured softly. "Never thought to get lube because I never thought I'd ever have a _male _lover, and by the time I did, I hadn't been here in several hundred years and wouldn't return again until now."

The noble reached down with his free hand to pat his chest reassuringly in a silent acceptance of his apology, crawling up so that he was sitting on the neko's stomach rather than kneeling on the plush bed. Deeming his fingers sufficiently coated, he reached down and began prepping himself in earnest, already craving to feel his lover's erection stroking his insides. "Katsu, Katsu, dammit, _Victory_!" he moaned, his back arching when his fingers, two in number, began stabbing his prostate.

The shapeshifter groaned at the sight above him, silently urging his lover on with loving explorations of that slender, muscled frame with his fingers, unaware of the sudden dilation of his pupils into mere slits. That third finger had him tipping his head back, seeing stars, but he couldn't contain the wince as he went straight to widening his fingers, already too impatient for Katsu to bother with the steady stretching either of them would have done to the other. Finally, after it seemed like an eternity, Katsu deemed him sufficiently stretched and yanked his fingers out, along with a protesting whine from the blond. "Now now, Takuma," he breathed huskily, "you don't want the horse running away, do you?"

The noble shook his head, both of them moaning loudly as he simply dropped himself down onto Katsu's weeping erection, not even bothering with additional lubrication other than the precum dripping down the warm skin. The angle was awkward, the neko thrusting up into the blond with as much force as he could muster and the noble just moaning loudly as he took it all, but when a desperate hand snaked out to snatch one of his hands from where they rested on the smooth protruding jut of a hipbone for guidance, Katsu didn't protest, instead tossing his head back with lustful abandon as fangs penetrated the skin of his wrist and a hot mouth suckled from his leaking wound. Predictably, the action led to his release inside of the vampire with a loud cry of his lover's name, "TAKUMA!"

"VICTORY!" the aristocrat yelled, his back arching as he coated his lover's chest and stomach with his white seed, tightening his legs and rolling the pair of them over to their sides without a second thought so that the poor shapeshifter's tail would come out from being crushed underneath their bodies during the copitulation. They lay there panting for a long moment before he could recover his voice. "We have got to try that again some time, Katsu."

The neko purred a soft hum of agreement before he pushed himself back up, scooping up the blond as well as he strode towards the one door Takuma hadn't seen last night. "Come on, let's go take a shower, Simba'll pick out some good clothes for you in the meantime. I don't want you to be too sore when we're riding; are you sure you won't need more of my blood?"

"I'll take some more when we're in the shower, that way they won't know I bit you twice this evening."

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><p>"Zero, wake up, we need to get dressed so that we can go riding!"<p>

The silveret groaned, hiding his head in the pureblood's chest. "I don't wanna," he protested tiredly, then his brain caught up with the words. "Wait, did you say riding?" he asked, sitting up so fast that about half of his vision turned into fuzz for a moment.

Kaname chuckled lightly, glad Lionne had come some time before sunset to give him some gauze to hide his ears again, even if she did also inform him that his room was clean now. "Yeah, Zero, Katsu's taking us on a guided tour of the estate, remember?"

Zero happily flew out of the bed, flitting around the room like a bird as he began pulling clothes, how the shapeshifter had managed to get ahold of his things from Cross Academy he had no idea but Kaname had told him not to question it earlier, out of drawers, searching for his jeans and a good shirt to wear. The pureblood smiled at the image, sliding from beneath the sheets and pulling on his own pair of sturdy pants, not jeans but something with leather on the knees, followed by a nice button-up shirt. Lionne looked up at him, her head cocking in a silent question that he shook his head at. He didn't want the hunter to see him in his armor, not when he hadn't needed to wear the damn thing in hundreds of years. "Dammit, where's my boots?" the silveret yelled, looking somewhat frazzled.

"Calm down, Zero," Kaname murmured, striding over to wrap his arms around his new lover soothingly. "I bet they're down in the stables with all the others."

The exhuman tensed, no doubt recalling last night. "Are you going to be okay to ride today, Kaname?" he asked, a silent way of phrasing _Did I hurt you_? in a more masculine way.

The brunet laughed quietly. "Of course, Zero. I've ridden with worse, after all, and even if I hadn't, I'm fine, I promise. I won't fall off my own horse today, so you don't have to worry about me, okay?"

"But _you_ don't worry about yourself enough," the hunter muttered to himself as the Level A walked to the door, the sound of light laughter making him curse. The arrogant pureblood wasn't supposed to have heard that.

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><p>"All right," Katsu declared after they'd all eaten breakfast, a light gathering of a few pancakes so that the new riders wouldn't be sick, though he, Kaname, Zero, and Yuki, the ones who had ridden before, weren't afraid to load up their plates, "I have an announcement to make about the riding arrangements." Everyone looked up at him, even Aurora and Ichiru. "Okay, now I know you were all expecting <em>me<em> to be the one leading the tour, but since I realized that it's been a very long time since Kaname and I last had a good run, not to mention that I'm not really the best teacher when it comes to instructing people how to ride, I asked Epona if she would mind leading your tour. That way, you won't be going much faster than a walk or a trot while Kaname, Zero, and I will be able to run like hell."

Everyone nodded, glad that they wouldn't be forced to fall flat on their faces in front of their dear leader today, except for Takuma, who sunk lower in his chair. True, he had seen numerous memories about riding, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep up. He didn't care if he fell off his horse in front of the others, but now that he'd heard the shapeshifter's little speech, he didn't know if it was the best idea for him to follow them down the trail.

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><p>"Okay," Epona announced, standing in the stables with all the guests, outfitted in riding boots, standing before her, "You all will be riding double except for Kaname-sama, Takuma-sama, Zero-sama, and Katsu-sama." She went back, bringing forward a beautiful cream-colored mare with dark brown legs. "Ichiru, Aurora, this is Daybreak's Gift, one of the gentlest horses in the barn." Once she situated the two on the horse, Ichiru behind Aurora and his arms holding her close to him, she led out a black and white paint horse and a roan with a black mane and tail. "Senri, Rima, this is Sweet Revenge, and Yuki, Ruka, this is Crimson Desire, one of Kaname's favorites here." When she went back, this time she led forward another two, a high-spirited medium-gray gelding with a black mane and tail for the two blond boys, "Mercury's Gamble," she told them, and her own horse, a bay mare with white markings on her legs and a blaze on her forehead. She mounted smoothly once she was certain everyone was set and began teaching them the basics of riding while winking at Katsu and Kaname, who'd grabbed their mates and began walking towards the back of the stable.<p>

There, tied up to a hitching post, were two huge destriers, one a light gray while one a pure black, and two smaller Arabians, a chocolate brown with black mane and tail and a rusty gold with a white mane and tail. "Takuma, Zero, you two will be taking the Arabians, they're easier to handle even if they're a little more skittish," Kaname explained, patting the black stallion and the bay beside him. "Zero, this one is yours, Swift's Justice."

"And you'll be taking Rustic Luck, Takuma," Katsu explained, checking the stirrups of his horse before he slung himself on easily.

"And who are these two giants?" the blond asked, somewhat relieved that Epona had quietly assured him she'd checked the stirrups already.

Zero had bent over as he carefully checked each one of his stallion's feet for stones or cracks, unwilling to simply trust Epona's word that the horse was sound, so as a result, Kaname's wine red gaze was fixated on the hunter's ass as he answered, "Well, Katsu's riding Taking Jerusalem, and this here is Final Velocity."

"I bet both of those horses have seen war, haven't they, Kaname?" the silveret growled, his lavender eyes gleaming with a strange emotion. Possessiveness maybe?

"Come on now," Katsu said in a manner that was very much like that of his lover. "If we don't get started now, who knows what time it'll be when we get back!"

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><p>Dawn: Don't get me wrong, guys, I love you all, really! I just don't know if I'll be up to writing anything right now... Between the interest in Yu-Gi-Oh! and my current situation, I don't know if the next chapter, or the rest of the story for that matter, will come from my brain.<p>

Takuma: It's okay, Dawn. You won't give up on us, right?

Dawn: NEVER! You guys are my escape! I will finish this story eventually, promise!

Katsu: *smiles* Thank you for reading, please review, and (hopefully) until next time!

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><p>Review-answering<p>

**Krazii: **It was going to be soon, and thanks for the compliments, it means a lot to me.

**afflictedpoet13: **Thanks for the well-wishes and the compliments, I really hope to continue this story, especially since I know someone's loving it so much!


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